Wang Ba, whose courtesy name was Ruzhong, was a native of Guangwu in Taiyuan Commandery. In his youth, he established a reputation for his noble and unyielding moral integrity. When Wang Mang usurped the Han throne, Wang Ba abandoned his official cap and garments, severing all ties with the political establishment.
During the Jianwu era of the Eastern Han dynasty, he was summoned to serve at the Masters of Writing. When paying his respects to the Emperor, he stated only his name and refused to refer to himself as a “subject” chen). When officials questioned him about this breach of protocol, Wang Ba replied, “There are subjects whom the Son of Heaven cannot treat as mere subjects, and there are friends whom feudal lords cannot associate with as mere friends.”
Later, the Minister over the Masses, Hou Ba, offered to yield his position to Wang Ba. However, Yan Yang, the former Magistrate of Liang County, slandered him by saying, “This is nothing but the vulgar factionalism of Taiyuan; Wang Ruzhong has caught quite a bit of this rend.” Consequently, the proposal to yield the position was dropped.
Wang Ba then returned home under the pretext of illness, living in seclusion to preserve his principles. Residing in a thatched cottage with a door made of wild grass, he declined multiple successive summons from the court and ultimately lived out the rest of his days in peace.
Note
Principled Wang Ba quit officialdom under Wang Mang. Summoned in Eastern Han, he refused to address the emperor as his lord. A slander halted Hou Ba’s plan to yield his post to him. Wang retreated to a humble cottage and declined all later imperial summons.
Wang Ba:
A prominent hermit of the transition period between the Xin and Eastern Han dynasties. His lifelong refusal to compromise his principles, even when offered the highest office in the land, made him a legendary figure of moral independence.
Abandoning Cap and Garments:
In ancient China, the official cap and garments were the ultimate symbols of political identity and submission to the emperor. By abandoning them, Wang Ba made a profound, physical declaration of his withdrawal from the corrupt political sphere during Wang Mang’s usurpation.
Refusing to Call Himself a Subject:
This is a highly significant historical and cultural phenomenon. In traditional Chinese political culture, calling oneself a “subject” implied total subservience to the Emperor. By refusing this title, Wang Ba asserted that his spiritual and moral authority existed independently of, and perhaps even above, the imperial political hierarchy.
“The Son of Heaven Cannot Treat Him as a Subject”:
This phrase became a famous classical allusion. It encapsulates the Daoist and high-minded Confucian belief that true sages are the spiritual teachers of the world, not mere cogs in the imperial machine. It asserts the supremacy of moral virtue over political power.
Vulgar Factionalism:
Yan Yang’s slander reflects the political reality that recluses were sometimes viewed with suspicion by those entrenched in the political system. Accusing a hermit of being part of a “faction” was a common political tactic to discredit their moral authority and justify denying them high office.
王霸字儒仲，太原广武人也，少立清节。及王莽篡位，弃冠带，绝交宦。建武中，徵到尚书，拜称名不称臣。有司问其故，霸曰：“天子有所不臣，诸侯有所不友。”司徒侯霸让位於霸，故梁令阎阳毁之曰：“太原俗党，儒仲颇有其风。”遂止。以病归，隐居守志，茅屋蓬户，连徵不至，以寿终。
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